Dental Monthly
APRIL 2026 edition #54
“WHITE, WHITER, WHITEST TEETH!”
People like beautiful teeth. As I have said many times before: Your smile is the ultimate secret weapon you can flash to conquer whomever you meet. Brilliant clean “white teeth” are the most desired, because it stands for health and success.
But teeth are rarely the pure white we see in toothpaste advertisements. In real life those are definitely made by us dentists. Natural healthy teeth range from milk white and light yellow to light grey or even a slightly blue-tinged white, when we are young.
It is not the enamel, but the underlying dentin that largely determines the colour. Enamel itself is semi-translucent, so the warmer, yellowish tone of dentin shows through, giving teeth their characteristic off-white hue. So for that reason there are people born with thicker, whiter enamel, while others have naturally thinner enamel that reveals more of the yellow dentin beneath.
Age matters significantly. Over time, enamel wears down through chewing and acid exposure, and dentin continues to thicken internally, making teeth appear progressively more yellow or grey as we get older. Enamel abrasions leave the dentin unprotected and nude to be stained by coffee, tea, red wine, and tobacco which contain all pigmented compounds, that bond with damaged enamel and are absorbed by dentin.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Staining
We distinguish between two types of discoloration. Extrinsic stains sit on the surface of the enamel and are caused by food, drink, and smoking. These are generally removable through professional cleaning and whitening treatments.
In Studio Moll we use Airpolishing which does not only remove plaque and tartar, but also the biofilm in which the discoloring pigments are embedded. Teeth stay cleaner for a longer period of time.
Intrinsic stains, on the other hand, originate inside the tooth itself — from medications, trauma, or conditions like dentinogenesis imperfecta — and are far more difficult to treat, often requiring veneers or crowns. Sometimes teeth with root canal treatments tend to discolor, which is intrinsic staining and will be treated from inside out (see former dental monthly)
As advice to my readers, I would caution from using whitening toothpastes and strips because they harm the enamel. Some people try and try all kinds of bleaching treatments but they will never have the illusion of white teeth for 3 reasons:
1/ Because their skin tone , lips and gums are too light. These patients would need VENEERS with a nice white colour that is perfect for them, but would be too “white chiclet teeth” for others with darker skin tones.
2/ The teeth are in the shadow of their lips or other teeth because the they are positioned tipped inward catching no light. A tooth turned inward can be the whitest of white, but still seem dark grey or yellow. Sometimes it is the orthodontic treatment with transparent trays, that move your teeth, that can help change the perceived colour of your teeth.
3/ It is barely possible to whiten teeth that have the specific discolouring from the tetracycline antibiotic (which were taken as a child). This can be grey, brown, or even green intrinsic stains, which are there to stay, and which are usually treated with nice veneers.
For all other cases, we do in-office bleaching treatments, and prescribe the more delicate home bleaching, with the same trays we use for the orthodontic treatments.
We carefully evaluate every patient for what is, first of all, the cause of the “dark and yellow smile” and then propose the treatment which is indicated for him or her.
For more information, reach out to Elena at one of the WIN meetings or via her contact info below.
Tune in to Studio Moll’s YouTube channel and here too.
Referral to former issues of Dental Monthly:
Does coffee stain your teeth
https://www.womensinternationalnetworkflorence.it/2022/10/04/does-coffee-stain-your-teeth/
Sense and nonsense of toothpaste
https://www.womensinternationalnetworkflorence.it/2022/05/06/sense-and-non-sense-of-toothpaste/
I don’t want to look like Madonna anymore
How much does this grey tooth bother me
https://www.womensinternationalnetworkflorence.it/2023/10/30/this-grey-tooth-bothers-me-so-much/
BIO
Studio Moll Contact Details and Social Media
Whatsapp: 331-6368628 | Tel: 055-755347